Opening Reception: Saturday, April 28 from 4pm to 7pm

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Exhibition runs April 28 – June 2, 2012.

The Brentwood Arts Exchange presents its first store-wide feature in the Craft Showcase, highlighting fine craft and functional art by the Langley Park Community Center Ceramicists. The feature, which runs from April 28 through June 2, brings the spotlight to one of Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation’s longest-running arts programs. This tightly-knit group of nearly 30 students and teachers offers their work for display and sale in celebration of their long history.

The intent of the store-wide feature is to display the individual talents and work of the group’s members, who range from beginning students to professional artists. The feature also hopes to bring attention to the partnership Langley Park Community Center and the Brentwood Arts Exchange maintain within Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation – which is currently presenting its “Year of the Arts” celebration. And, of course, it’s no coincidence that the feature brings new art into the store just in time for Mother’s Day. As many as 70 new, one-of a kind items will be integrated into the current line of crafts currently featured in the showcase, which also includes hand-blown and fused glass, metalworking, and textile art.

The Brentwood Arts Exchange will host a reception celebrating this first store-wide feature on Saturday, April 28, 4-7pm. It’s your chance to meet the artists and instructors, learn about their inspirations and to find out more about their ceramics program. It will also be your best chance to collect some of their work for yourself, before the Mother’s Day shopping crowd takes it all for themselves.

Photo Courtesy Brentwood Arts Exchange. Work by Mary Giammatteo.

Langley Park Community Center Ceramicists

The Langley Park Community Center Ceramicists are instructors and students of the ceramics program at Langley Park Community Center in Hyattsville, Maryland. The program is home to individuals of varying skill levels and talents, from professional studio potters with years of experience to intermediate artists and beginners who are just starting out. The program includes mixed level ceramics courses open to individuals of all ages, teenagers and seniors alike.

Langley Park Community Center

Langley Park Community Center is a facility of the Maryland – National Capital Park & Planning Commission and Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation. The extensively renovated facility occupies a portion of a former elementary school. The community center features a multi-purpose room with a stage, two meeting rooms, a multi-purpose room/pre-school room, fitness room, kitchen, game room, offices, and a senior lounge. Outdoor amenities include play equipment and a field on the adjacent school property. Sports, arts, fitness, dance, crafts, cooking, self-improvement, computers, drama, games, hobbies, martial arts, music, and do-it-yourself instruction are among the activities offered here. The center also hosts tournaments, clubs, camps, special events, workshops, drop-in programs, after-school programs, and cultural activities at different times. Pre-schoolers, children, teens, adults and senior citizens will find a variety of recreation opportunities available at the center.

Brentwood Arts Exchange

Brentwood Arts Exchange – exchanging ideas through art. A facility of The Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission, the Brentwood Arts Exchange, located within the Gateway Arts Center at Brentwood, is dedicated to presenting and promoting the visual arts. It features a vibrant gallery space, a contemporary Fine Craft Showcase, and a dynamic arts learning classroom and meeting space. The Brentwood Arts Exchange is a place for people of all ages to meet, engage and learn about art, purchase one-of-a-kind craft objects, and explore new creative talents. Arts programs of The Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission, Department of Parks and Recreation are supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive.